Ravenclaw Manor
by NormalityNightmare
Summary: Rowena Ravenclaw's decndent, Rose, was orphaned at a young age when her parents mysteriously dissapeared. Whn she unknowinglly moves into her family home with her foster parents, anything could happen.


_**Chapter One,**_

Our car sped down the empty country lanes, the overhanging branches whipping the windscreen as the rain lashed down like shards of broken glass falling from the skies. The trees were bent over from the force of the wind. The skies were overcast, grey rather than blue. There were no people, not a single dog walker, biker, hiker, not even another car, desperate to get to it's destination before the storm worsened.  
We were having no such luck, the rain had started when we left the house no less than three hours ago. I sat in the back of the car, my arm resting on a suitcase next to me trying to imagine what our new house [for that was where we were heading] was like. I imagined a small country house, with a pretty garden and honeysuckle climbing the walls on either side of the front door. However that image was expelled from my mind as we pulled up into the driveway.

There was a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning and the house was lit up for a split second. It was a large house, painted a dull gray colour with large dirty looking windows. There was another flash of lightning as my gather stopped the car and opened the car door. My mother pulled a key out of the glove box and ran towards the house whilst my father ran to get the small suitcases out of the boot. I watched my mother as she ran over the grass, her arms clutching her blue handbag protectively to her chest, her bare slim legs going red with the pressure of the rain, her high heels sticking into the mud as she ran and her head bowed to her chest.  
The car boot slammed shut and my father struggled past me with the cases, I opened the car door and stepped out, onto the wet grass, flinching as the rain fell, stinging my face and bare arms.  
I pushed the door shut and ran to take my case from my father, who gave me a grateful glance before jogging to reach the door. I followed him, my case banging against my knees, my sodden hair dripping down my neck.

I stepped up the steps to the front door, it was open and my mother was trying to find a light switch. I stepped inside and put the cases down, shutting the door behind me. My father wasn't there when my mother found the light switch, she pressed it, but nothing happened.  
"James!" She called "The power's gone out!"  
I heard some banging from further inside the house and my father soon returned with some candles and a packet of matches. He gave my mother and I a candle each and lit them. The hallway was bathed in the soft golden glow, dark shadows dancing around the walls as the candle flames flickered. Just inside the door there was a row of metal coat pegs and an umberella stand lying on it's side beneath it. I delicately stepped down the hallway, on the old worn oriental looking rug that was a few inches short of the wall at either side, exposing old dusty floorboards. I walked past a large double door on my left and into the foyer. There were two staircases, one on either side, twisting up to the floor above, a large glassy chandelier hung between them, the light from my candle making the glass shapes twinkle and dance above me, casting tiny circles of light on the dark walls and floor of the foyer. Before me, between the staircases set into the wall, was a large and beautiful wooden door, intricate patterns of leaves and swirls covered the top half of the door like a veil, whilst the other half was plain and smooth. I took a step towards it, I felt drawn to this door. I took another step and a flash of lightning illuminated the building. I spun round and took a few steps back towards my parents. There was a sound, as I put my foot down, like I was stepping on broken glass, I lifted my foot and bending down, I picked up what I'd stepped on. I lifted it up towards my candle, being a curious girl, I wanted to know what it was. It was in a frame, a golden frame with vines and leaves curling and twisting around the black and white photo within. It was a family, a father, with long blonde hair tied back in a bow, his arm around a woman with black hair, they were gazing into each other's eyes, the man with his hand on a boy's shoulder. He looked about fourteen and was blonde too, with short hair, much whiter than his fathers though, and next to him, was a small girl, about seven years old, grasping her mother's skirts but grinning at the same time. She had curly white-blonde hair and there was a rag doll at her feet.

The lights shuddered into life and I blew out my candle as my dad struggled over with my suitcase and his own. I ran to take my case from him and he smiled at me gratefully, his short blonde hair falling into his grass green eyes. My mother sauntered past, pulling her suitcase behind her on it's little wheels,  
"Come on, child" She said, picking her case up as she got to the bottom of the stairs "I'll show you where your room is".


End file.
